Move to beat diabetes: Stepping up your efforts

This walking program calls for you to walk five days a week. The other days are Wild Card days when anything goes — as long as your body's doing the going — walking, gardening, playing golf or tennis, or even ballroom dancing.

Don't think of your walks as the only movement you need to do all day. Once upon a time, people walked almost everywhere they needed to go, and daily life is still filled with opportunities to power yourself to your destination, whether it's to the mailbox down the street or the second floor of a mall – take the stairs, not the escalator.

Every step you take, whether or not you're consciously exercising, burns calories. Be intentional about taking more of them, even when you're not on one of your walks. When your walks hit the 30-minute mark, buy a pedometer, a small device you wear on your waist that counts your steps. The number of steps you take varies according to the length of your stride, but your numbers will already be well in the thousands if you're walking 30 minutes a day. Work toward the milestone of 10,000 steps a day.

Even if no one's counting, walk more every chance you get. If you've spent your life looking for ways to save steps, it may be tough to think of ways to become less efficient. But those small losses in efficiency add up to big gains in getting your blood sugar in line. Here are eight ways to step it up.

1. If you're meeting a friend, catch up over a stroll instead of a cup of coffee – or order coffee to go.
2. Have a cell phone? Walk while you talk. They don't call them mobile phones for nothing!
3. Running an errand nearby? Get on your feet instead of in the car.
4. Walk around the terminal while waiting for a flight — and avoid the moving sidewalks.
5. During TV commercials, walk in place, climb up and down the stairs, or take a spin around the perimeter of the house.
6. Don't fight for parking. Instead of waiting for a space close to the door, park farther away.
7. Return your shopping cart to the front of the store instead of leaving it in the parking lot.
8. Instead of using the drive-through, go inside.

Taking that first step is always the hardest. With life so busy, you just don't think to exercise. Other times, you know you should but lack the gumption. Here are some steps that can help.

• Put your favourite walking shoes by the door at night so you'll see them in the morning. They'll remind you that walking is a priority.
• Have a destination in mind. Going to the store, post office or coffee shop gives walking a purpose.
• Book time on your calendar. Post adhesive notes on the fridge to spur you on — a technique shown to work in studies.
• Enlist a friend to walk with you or call to remind you. A sense of accountability is a great motivator.
• Find a photo of yourself when you were thinner. Place it on your dresser as an inspirational reminder of your goal.